The "banner" meaning has a clear connection to Iranian forms like Persian درفش (derafš, “standard, banner”). Both the Indic and Iranic forms may stem ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *drep- (“to cut, tear off (a piece)”); compare Ancient Greek δρέπω (drépō, “I cut off”), Serbo-Croatian dȑpnuti (“to jerk, tear”), and in particular, Late Latin drappus (“piece of cloth”).
The origin of the "drop" meaning is uncertain, but has been linked as sharing a common origin with the "banner" meaning, as droplets may be shaken off banner-like objects (such as cloth) with jerking movements. Probably not from the root द्रु (dru, “to melt”).
द्रप्स • (drapsá) stem, m
| Masculine a-stem declension of द्रप्स (drapsá) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
| Nominative | द्रप्सः drapsáḥ |
द्रप्सौ / द्रप्सा¹ drapsaú / drapsā́¹ |
द्रप्साः / द्रप्सासः¹ drapsā́ḥ / drapsā́saḥ¹ |
| Vocative | द्रप्स drápsa |
द्रप्सौ / द्रप्सा¹ drápsau / drápsā¹ |
द्रप्साः / द्रप्सासः¹ drápsāḥ / drápsāsaḥ¹ |
| Accusative | द्रप्सम् drapsám |
द्रप्सौ / द्रप्सा¹ drapsaú / drapsā́¹ |
द्रप्सान् drapsā́n |
| Instrumental | द्रप्सेन drapséna |
द्रप्साभ्याम् drapsā́bhyām |
द्रप्सैः / द्रप्सेभिः¹ drapsaíḥ / drapsébhiḥ¹ |
| Dative | द्रप्साय drapsā́ya |
द्रप्साभ्याम् drapsā́bhyām |
द्रप्सेभ्यः drapsébhyaḥ |
| Ablative | द्रप्सात् drapsā́t |
द्रप्साभ्याम् drapsā́bhyām |
द्रप्सेभ्यः drapsébhyaḥ |
| Genitive | द्रप्सस्य drapsásya |
द्रप्सयोः drapsáyoḥ |
द्रप्सानाम् drapsā́nām |
| Locative | द्रप्से drapsé |
द्रप्सयोः drapsáyoḥ |
द्रप्सेषु drapséṣu |
| Notes |
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